Where does “regard” come from?

Regard comes from Middle English reguard, from Old French reguarder, composed of the prefix re- and a root derived from Proto-Indo-European wer-.

regard (English): A steady look, a gaze; One's concern for another;...

Definitions

  1. A steady look, a gaze; One's concern for another;...

Ancestry of “regard”, step by step

regard traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French regarder

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchregarderto look at; to watch
2Middle Frenchregarderto look at; to watch
3Old Frenchreguarderto look at; to watch
4Old Frenchguarderto protect; to guard; to look at
5Frankishwardēnto protect; to guard, protect, watch over; to...
6Proto-Germanicwardānąto guard, protect, watch over
7Proto-Germanic*warduz—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
9Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

via Middle English regard

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishregard—
2Anglo-NormanreguardAlternative form of regard
3Old FrenchregarderAlternative form of reguarder

Words derived from “regard”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →